Download Launching the New Ship of State

Launching the New Ship of
State
1789 – 1800
Troubled Times for US
Government
• Americans distrusted authority and government
– Had overthrown both the British and Articles of
Confederation
• American finances were in bad shape
– Little money coming in through taxes
– Huge amount of public debt
– Worthless paper money in circulation; metal money
was scarce
• 18th century political theory considered
republican government over a wide area
impossible
Growing Pains
• Population
– Doubling every 25 years
– 1790 – 4 million people lived in US
– Cities growing, although most people (90%)
lived in rural areas
– Most people (95%) lived east of the
Appalachian mountains
Americans in 1790
Growing Pains
• Trans-Appalachian population
– People who lived between west of the Appalachian
mountains but east of the Mississippi River
– Only 5% of the population
– Concentrated in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio
• First trans-Appalachian territories to become states (within
14 years)
– These people were not very loyal to the US
• Shipped agricultural products down Mississippi (the mouth
was controlled by the Spanish)
• They wre tempted by the Spanish (and British) promises of
independence, if they broke with the US
Washington for President
• George Washington
– Unanimously elected president by the electoral
college - the only nominee ever to be elected
unanimously
– Preferred farming at Mount Vernon to being
president - he was the only person elected who did
not want to be president
– April 30, 1789 – took the oath of office in New York
City (the temporary capital of the US at the time)
Washington's Inauguration
Washington for President
• Washington’s cabinet
– Constitution only says president “may require”
written opinions of the heads of executive branch
departments
– The cabinet evolved into a group that held meetings
and discussed policy under Washington
– Only 3 department heads were originally in the
cabinet under Washington:
•
•
•
•
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War Henry Knox
The office of attorney general was added in 1789
Washington and His Cabinet
The Bill of Rights
• Antifederalists had criticized the
Constitution because it didn’t have a bill
of rights
• Some states had supported the
Constitution with the understanding that
a bill of rights would be included later
The Bill of Rights
• Amendments to the Constitution could be
proposed in 2 ways
– A new constitutional convention could be requested
by 2/3 of the states
– Or by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress
• Madison chose to write amendments for the bill
of rights and propose them through Congress
– He did not want to open new a constitutional
convention when the federalists had just barely won
the last one
Amending the Constitution
The Bill of Rights
• 1791 – 10 amendments passed 3/4 of the
state legislatures and became law
– Freedom of religion, speech, press
– Right to bear arms
– Right to trial by jury
– Right to assemble and petition for redress of
grievances
– Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment
– Prohibition of arbitrary government seizure
of private property
The Bill of Rights
• 9th Amendment
– Added to guard against the assumption that
the list of rights were the only ones protected
– Said this specification of certain rights did
not “deny or disparage” other rights “retained
by the people”
The Bill of Rights
• 10th Amendment
– Reserved all rights not explicitly delegated or
prohibited by the Constitution “to the States
respectively, or to the people”
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights
• Judiciary Act of 1789
– Organized the Supreme Court with a chief
justice and 5 associate justices (6 total)
– Organized federal district and circuit courts
– Established the office of attorney general
The Federal Court System
Today
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• Secretary of Treasury Alexander
Hamilton
– A genius, but not fully trusted by many
because he openly favored aristocratic
government
– Interfered in others’ departments, especially
that of his bitter rival Thomas Jefferson,
secretary of state
Alexander
Hamilton
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• Hamilton’s financial goals for the US
– Fix economic problems from the Articles of
Confederation
– Favor wealthy groups so that they would lend
money and political support to the
government
– Prosperity would then trickle down from the
upper to lower classes
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• Hamilton's goal of strengthening the
national credit
– Believed the US government needed the
confidence of the people (especially the
wealthy)
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• Pushed Congress to pay off entire national
debt ($54 million) at face value
– Speculators had bought bonds up at low prices
– Government bonds had depreciated to 10 - 15
cents because most people didn’t believe the
government would be able to pay them back
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• Pushed for Congress to assume states’
debts ($21.5 million)
– Justifiable since they had been incurred while
fighting the Revolution
– Hamilton primarily wanted to strengthen the
US
• States would be more supportive of the national
government
• Rich creditors would support the national
government (to get their money paid back)
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of
Public Credit
• State reaction to Hamilton’s assumption plan
– States with large debts (like Massachusetts)
supported the plan
– States with small debts (like Virginia) did not
• The District of Columbia
– Virginia wanted this federal district (authorized in
the Constitution, but it had not been decided where
the district would be located yet) for commerce and
prestige
– In return, Virginia supported assumption, and it
passed in 1790
Washington, D.C.
Customs Duties and Excise
Taxes
• Because of assumption, the national debt was
now $75 million ($813,226,930.14 in 2005 dollars)
– If the US hadn't followed Hamilton's strong desire to
strengthen the public credit it could have not paid $13
million in back interest and not paid the state debts at
all
• Hamilton’s true objective for the national debt
was to strengthen the US
– The more creditors the government owed money to,
the more people there would be with an interest in
making sure the government worked
Customs Duties and Excise
Taxes
• Tariffs (taxes on imports) on foreign trade
– Hamilton’s plan to pay down the debt
– Hamilton’s and Congress’s way of protecting weak
American industry from foreign (especially British)
competition
– 1789 – first tariff law of small 8% duty
– Hamilton pushed for higher tariffs, but Congress
(dominated by agricultural interests) only slightly
increased tariff after 1789
Customs Duties and Excise
Taxes
• Internal taxes (within the US) were an
additional way to pay down the debt
– 1791 – Congress passed an excise tax on a few items
– Excise – an internal tax imposed on the production,
sale, or consumption of a commodity or the use of a
service within a country: excises on tobacco, liquor,
and long-distance telephone calls
– The highest was a 7 cents per gallon tax on whiskey,
paid primarily by distillers (this hurt rural farmers
the most because they shipped excess farm produce to
the East by turning it into alcohol first)
Hamilton's
Financial
Structure
Supported
by
Revenues
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• Hamilton’s bank
– He admired Bank of England and proposed a
powerful private institution similar to this bank, with
the national government as majority stockholder
– The government would deposit money from the
federal treasury there
• This money would stimulate the economy by remaining in
circulation (available for loans and investment)
– Would print paper money and provide a stable
currency, backed by the government's deposits
The Bank of England
The Great Hall in the Bank of
England
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• Jefferson opposed the bank
– Washington asked for Jefferson’s written opinion
– Jefferson held to a “strict” construction
(interpretation) of the Constitution
– There was no specific authorization for a bank in the
Constitution
– Powers that were not specifically granted to the
national government (such as the formation of a
bank) were reserved for the states (Amendment 10)
– Therefore, states had power to authorize banks, not
the national government
Thomas
Jefferson
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• Hamilton’s reply to Jefferson was also
requested by Washington
– Hamilton held to a “loose” construction
(interpretation) of the Constitution
– Anything the Constitution did not forbid it
permitted (Jefferson believed exactly the
opposite)
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• Hamilton used the “necessary and proper”
(“elastic”) clause (from Article I)
– “The Congress shall have power …To make all laws
which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers
vested by this Constitution in the government of the
United States, or in any department or officer
thereof.”
from Article I, section 8
– Government was explicitly authorized to collect taxes
and regulate trade
– A bank would help government carry out these powers
– Therefore, the bank was implied (“implied powers”) in
other explicit powers
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• The fight over the bank exposed
differences between the North and South
– The industrial and commercial North
supported the bank
– The agricultural South did not support the
bank
Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a
Bank
• Hamilton’s view prevailed; in 1791 the
bank was created by Congress
– Chartered for 20 years
– Located at Philadelphia
– Began with capital of $10 million
– 1/5 of the bank was owned by the federal
government
– Stock in the bank sold out quickly in a public
sale
The Bank of the United States
Mutinous Moonshiners in
Pennsylvania
• Importance of whiskey to rural
communities
– Bad roads forced many farmers to convert
grain to alcohol for easier and cheaper
shipping to the east
– Whiskey was even used as money in some
parts of the frontier
Mutinous Moonshiners in
Pennsylvania
• Hamilton’s excise tax on whisky hurt
rural farmers
– Not a tax on a luxury but a burden on a
necessity and a form of money
• 1794 – Whiskey Rebellion
– Distillers tarred and feathered revenue
officers, stopping collections
– Cried for “Liberty and No Excise”
A Government Inspector Tarred and
Feathered During the Whiskey
Rebellion
Mutinous Moonshiners in
Pennsylvania
• Washington brought militia from several states
to stop the Whiskey Rebellion
– Initially there was a question of whether men from
other states would unite to fight another state
– An army of 13,000 did march to Pennsylvania
– The rebels dispersed when they heard troops were
coming
– 2 men were convicted for rebellion; Washington
pardoned them
– The incident increased the power of the national
government, although some criticized Washington’s
brutality
Washington Reviews the Troops at the
Whiskey Rebellion, 1794
The Emergence of Political
Parties
• Hamilton succeeded in giving more power
to the central government, at the expense
of the states
• Hamilton’s successes led to divisions in
public opinion between states’ rights and
federal power
– Grew from a personal feud between Jefferson
and Hamilton to a full-blown political rivalry
The Emergence of Political
Parties
• Parties versus factions
– Organized political partied did not exist
during Washington’s first term
– Political divisions (Whigs and Tories,
federalists and antifederalists) were factions,
not parties
• Groups who opposed each other and fought over
specific issues
• These groups disbanded after the issue had gone
away
The Emergence of Political
Parties
• Founders had not anticipated the existence
of parties
– Organized opposition to the democratic
government seemed disloyal to them
The Emergence of Political
Parties
• 1790s – Jefferson and Madison began
organizing against Hamilton
– Worked against Hamilton's programs in
Congress only
– Did not anticipate the creation of a popular
party
• The party system began to take form as
opposition to Hamilton grew and
newspapers brought ordinary citizens in
The Emergence of Political
Parties
• The party system in US history
– Competition for power between 2 parties was
important for a sound democracy
– The opposition party makes sure the other
one doesn’t go too far from the wishes of the
people
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• By 1793 – political parties had formed
– Democratic-Republicans (Jeffersonian)
– Federalists (Hamiltonian)
• Foreign policy made differences between
the parties even more pronounced
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• In 1789 the French Revolution began
– 26 years before Europe would finally be at
peace
– Left significant impact on the US and the rest
of the Western world
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• Early stages of the French Revolution
– Peaceful attempt to limit the power of King
Louis XVI
– Americans supported this as an imitation of
the American Revolution (except for a few
ultraconservative Federalists)
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• 1792 – France declared war on Austria
– Austria fought to return king to France and
prevent democratic revolutionary ideas from
spreading
– Late in 1792, France defeated Austria
– Americans celebrated Austria’s defeat
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• 1793 – the French Revolution grew radical
– King Louis XVI was beheaded
– The Reign of Terror began (ending in 1794);
40,000 people were killed during this time
The Execution of Louis XVI
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• American reaction to the radicalism of the
French Revolution
– Federalists turned against the Revolution
immediately
– Jeffersonians regretted the killing, but
accepted the killing of some aristocrats in
furtherance of human freedom
The Impact of the French
Revolution
• The impact of the French Revolution
– Britain was brought into the conflict (allied
with Austria to fight France)
– Eventually came to involve a conflict between
the European powers for control of the
Atlantic
– This brought the US and the rest of the world
into the conflict
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• The alliance of 1778 between France and
America was still in force
– Was to last “forever” according to the treaty
– Obligated the US to defend the French West
Indies (where Britain was certain to attack)
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• Democratic-Republicans wanted to honor
the treaty
– Sided with France over their recent enemy
Britain
– Argued that the US owed France its freedom
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• Washington (backed by Hamilton)
resisted supporting France
– Believed the US had to avoid conflicts with
Europe for 1 – 2 generations, so that American
strength and numbers (through a high birth
rate) could be built up
– Believed that if the US entered European
wars (to defend its rights on the Atlantic) it
would possibly be defeated or significantly
hurt
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• Neutrality Proclamation of 1793
– Issued right after the war started between Britain and
France
– Proclaimed the US government’s strict neutrality
– Warned American citizens to be neutral toward both
sides
– Influenced the spread of isolationist feelings among
many Americans
– Angered many Democratic-Republicans because it
was seen as a betrayal of France and because it was
announced by Washington without consulting
Congress
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• Citizen Edmond Genêt
– April 1793 – as ambassador from France, arrived in
Charleston, South Carolina
– Received enthusiastically by many DemocraticRepublicans in the South
– Genêt mistakenly believed that most Americans did
not support the Neutrality Proclamation
– Worked to recruit Americans to invade Spanish
Florida, Louisiana and British Canada
– 1794 – Washington demanded Genêt be replaced
Citizen Genêt
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• Neutrality Proclamation showed that alliances are
always based on self-interest
– 1778 – both France and America gained from their
alliance
– 1793 – only France would gain, so the alliance did not
happen
– The US didn’t technically violate the 1778 alliance
because France never called on the US for help
(because after the Neutrality Proclamation, France
knew the US would refuse)
Washington’s Neutrality
Proclamation
• American neutrality favored France
– The French West Indies needed food from
the US
– If the US had entered the war on the side of
France, Britain would have blockaded
American coast, cutting off supplies
– No blockade meant the US could continue
shipping to France’s colonies
Embroilments with Britain
• Britain kept 7 forts on the northern border
between the US and Canada, in US
territory
– Violation of 1783 Treaty of Paris
– Was reluctant to give up the profitable fur
trade
– Wanted an Indian buffer between Canada
and the US
American Posts Held by the
British After 1783
Embroilments with Britain
• Miami Confederacy – 8 Indian nations
allied with British
– British provided Indians with guns and
alcohol
– Indians saw the Ohio River as US’s northern
boundary (and their southern boundary)
– 1790 – 1791 – US generals Harmar and St.
Clair defeated by Indians
Embroilments with Britain
• 1794 – Battle of Fallen Timbers
– General “Mad Anthony” Wayne defeated the
Miami Indians
– The British refused to shelter the fleeing
Indians (supposedly their allies) in the British
forts
Embroilments with Britain
• August 1795 – the Treaty of Greenville
– Indians gave up huge tracts of land (in Indiana and
Ohio)
– Indians received $20,000 and an annual payment of
$9,000
– Indians could continue to hunt on the lands they had
given up
– Indians wrongly hoped the treaty put limits on white
expansion
Conflicts with Indians on the
Northwest Frontier in the 1790s
Embroilments with Britain
• British attacks on US shipping
– Blockaded the French West Indies
– Seized 300 US ships and impressed US
seamen into service on British ships; other
US sailors were imprisoned
Impressment of US Sailors
Embroilments with Britain
• US reaction to British violations on the
sea
– Jeffersonians called for a war (or at least an
embargo) against Britain
– Federalists resisted Jeffersonian demands
• Wanted the US to develop trade and industry;
depended on Britain for this
• Did not want a destructive war with most
powerful country in the world
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• 1794 – Washington sent Chief Justice John
Jay to London to negotiate a treaty in a
last attempt to avoid war
– Jeffersonians feared the pro-British Jay would
sell out US interests
– Jay’s negotiations were sabotaged by
Hamilton
• He feared war with Britain, so he told the British
details of Jay’s negotiating strategy
• As a result, Jay got few concessions from Britain
Chief
Justice
John Jay
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• The Jay Treaty
– Britain promised to evacuate the 7 forts on
US soil and promised to pay damages for
seized American ships
– Brittain did not promise anything about
future ship seizures or impressments or about
supplying arms to the Indians
– Americans promised to repay debts owed to
British merchants from before the Revolution
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• The Jay Treaty enraged DemocraticRepublicans
– The treaty seemed to be a complete surrender to
Britain
– Hurt the South (who had to pay larger share of the
debts) while the North was helped (by being repaid
for their lost ships)
– Jeffersonian mobs hanged, burned and guillotined in
effigy (a crude figure or dummy representing a hated
person or group) John Jay
Jay Burned
in Effigy
by AntiBritish
Americans
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• Pinckney’s Treaty of 1795
– Spain quickly agreed to most US terms
because of their fear of a closer AngloAmerican alliance
– The US was granted free navigation of the
Mississippi and a large disputed area north of
Florida
Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• 1796 – Washington chose to retire
– The 2-term tradition for US presidents lasted
until broken by Franklin Roosevelt in 1940
– The 22nd Amendment (ratified in 1951) made 2
terms part of the Constitution
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• Washington’s farewell address
– Published in newspapers, not delivered as a
speech
– Warned against “permanent alliances”
– Did not oppose all alliances, but advised
making them temporary
– Did this advice (to a weak nation) apply to
strong nation later?
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s
Farewell
• President Washington’s importance
– Fiscal health and strength of the government
established
– Settlement to the West and sea trade was
expanding
– Most importantly, he had kept the US out of
foreign wars
John Adams Becomes President
• The election of 1796
– Federalists nominated Washington’s vice
president, John Adams
– Hamilton was too unpopular with many
people because of his financial policies (which
seemed to favor the rich)
– Democratic-Republicans nominated Jefferson
John Adams Becomes President
• The bitter campaign of 1796
– Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
bitterly attacked each other
– The respect for Washington had put some
restraints on partisan attacks before this
– Issues focused heavily on personalities
– Democratic-Republicans attacked Federalists
for brutality during Whiskey Rebellion and
Jay Treaty
John Adams Becomes President
• Results of the election of 1796
– John Adams narrowly won the election (71 to
68 votes in the Electoral College)
– Jefferson became Adams’ vice president
• Under the original system for electing the
president, each elector had 2 votes in 1 election for
both president and vice president; whoever got the
most votes became president; the runner-up
became vice president
• This was changed by the 12th Amendment in 1804
• Now there are 2 separate elections (1 for president,
1 for vice president)
Election
of 1796
The Framers'
Plan for the
Electoral
College
John Adams Becomes President
• John Adams’ personality
– Fat (called “His Rotundity”) and short (5’7”)
– Stern and stubborn intellectual aristocrat
– Not well-liked by most Americans
John Adams
John Adams Becomes President
• Adams’ problems on entering the presidency
– He could not hope to measure up to Washington
– Hamilton (who hated Adams) headed the High
Federalists (a faction in the Federalist Party strongly
opposed to Adams)
• He even plotted with members of Adams’ cabinet against
him
– He inherited a violent fight with France that might
lead to war
Unofficial Fighting with France
• The French were angered by Jay Treaty
– Saw the treaty as a first step to a US-British
alliance and as a violation of the FrancoAmerican Treaty of 1778
• French retaliation
– Began seizing US merchant ships (300 by
mid-1797)
– Refused to receive a US diplomat – and even
threatened him with arrest
Unofficial Fighting with France
• The XYZ Affair
– Adams wanted to avoid war, following Washington's
lead
– 1797 – Adams sent 3 men to reach an agreement with
France; these men hoped to meet with Charles de
Talleyrand, the French foreign minister
– Instead, they were met by 3 go-betweens (called X,
Y, and Z), who demanded a loan of $12 million and a
bribe of $250,000 to talk to Talleyrand (bribes were
standard procedure in Europe)
– American negotiators refused the terms and left
Europe; they were hailed as heroes in the US upon
their return
The XYZ Affair
Here an innocent young America is being robbed by Frenchmen while John
Bull (Britain) looks on amused across the English Channel
Unofficial Fighting with France
• US reaction to the XYZ Affair
–
–
–
–
War hysteria swept the US (even to Adams)
“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.”
Politically beneficial for the pro-British Federalists
Most Jeffersonians (except for the most committed)
also condemned the French
Unofficial Fighting with France
• War preparations in the US
– In spite of some opposition in Congress by
Democratic-Rebublicans
– The Navy Department was created and the
small navy was expanded
– The US Marine Corps was reestablished
• Originally created in 1775, but disbanded
– A new army of 10,000 men authorized
Unofficial Fighting with France
• 1798 – 1800 – an undeclared naval war
between France and the US
– Principally conducted in the West Indies
– The US navy captured 80 French ships,
although several hundred US ships were
captured by the French
– A slight push might have brought the US and
France to full-scale war
Adams Puts Patriotism Above
Party
• France did not want war with the US
– Already fighting a war against powerful
Britain and Austria
– Britain was brought closer to the US during
this time than again for many years (a
relationship France wanted to put an end to)
– Talleyrand made it known that he would
accept a new US diplomat
Charles de Talleyrand
Adams Puts Patriotism Above
Party
• Adams’ decision
– Full war, with the US capturing Florida and
Louisiana, would bring power and popularity
to himself and the Federalist party
– In spite of this, he knew the US was not
ready for full war with a European power
– In early 1799 he submitted name of new
minister to France to Senate
– Hamilton and the High Federalists were
enraged; Jeffersonians and most reasonable
Federalists supported Adams
Adams Puts Patriotism Above
Party
• US’s 3 ambassadors received by France
– Napoleon had just taken power of dictator
• Wanted to stop fighting with America and
concentrate on Europe (and possibly form empire
in Louisiana)
– Convention of 1800
• France agreed to annul the Franco-American
Treaty of 1778
• US agreed to pay damages to American shippers
(caused by French attacks)
Napoleon Bonaparte
Adams Puts Patriotism Above
Party
• Importance of Adams' dealings with
France
– Avoided war with France
– Prepared the way for the Louisiana Purchase
(1803), which was extremely important to the
future of the US
– In spite of this, Adams was unappreciated by
many Americans at the time
The Federalist Witch Hunt
• 1798 – Alien and Sedition Acts rammed
through Congress
– Federalists used their increased popularity
(during the anti-French – and therefore antiJeffersonian period)
– Supposedly done to protect the US during a
war with France; in reality designed to
weaken the Republicans
The Federalist Witch Hunt
• Naturalization Act
– Most European immigrants were poor and
supported the Democratic-Republicans (the
party for the less prosperous, and more
democratic)
– Raised residence requirement for aliens (noncitizens) to become citizens from 5 to 14 years
The Federalist Witch Hunt
• Alien Enemies Act
– President could deport or imprison any foreigners
during time of war (without proof or guilt)
• Alien Friends Act
– President could deport any foreigners whose
activities he considered dangerous (without proof or
guilt) during time of peace
• Never enforced, but both Alien Acts gave
president arbitrary and excessive power
The Federalist Witch Hunt
• Sedition Act
– Sedition – conduct or language inciting
rebellion against the authority of a state
– Anyone who impeded the policies of the
government or falsely damaged the reputation
of public officials (including the president)
was subject to a fine or imprisonment
– Many were indicted and 10 people were
brought to trial under this law
– All 10 were convicted by packed juries and
pro-Federalist judges
The Federalist Witch Hunt
• The Supreme Court (dominated by Federalists)
refused to declare the Sedition Act
unconstitutional
• Federalists wrote the law to expire in 1801 (so it
couldn’t be used against them if the lost the 1800
election)
• The Sedition Act probably drove many to the
Democratic-Republican party (after 1800)
• However, many others supported the Alien and
Sedition Acts, especially during the 1798 – 1800
“Quasi War” with France
– 1798 – 1799 congressional elections – Federalists won a
strong victory over Democratic-Republicans
The Virginia (Madison) and
Kentucky (Jefferson)
Resolutions
• Jefferson feared that the Federalists could
become a 1-party dictatorship
– Restriction on free speech might lead to the
end of other constitutional rights
– Jefferson and Madison wrote resolutions
adopted by the legislatures in Kentucky and
Virginia opposing the Alien and Sedition
Acts
• Jefferson’s resolution was more radical than
Madison’s s
– No other state adopted the resolutions
The Virginia (Madison) and
Kentucky (Jefferson)
Resolutions
• Jefferson and Madison stressed the “compact”
theory of the US government
– 13 sovereign states had made a compact (contract)
when they formed the federal government
– The federal government was seen as a creation of the
states
– The states therefore were the final judges of whether
the federal government had broken the contract
• Jefferson charged that the federal government
had exceeded its authority with the Alien and
Sedition Acts
– “nullification” (refusal to accept these laws) was the
“rightful remedy”
The Virginia (Madison) and
Kentucky (Jefferson)
Resolutions
• The Federalists strongly opposed the
resolutions
• Federalist arguments against the
resolutions
– The people – not the states – had made the
original compact
– The Supreme Court – not the states – had the
right to nullify unconstitutional laws passed
by Congress
• This position was adopted by the Supreme Court
in 1803 (Marbury v. Madison)
The Virginia (Madison) and
Kentucky (Jefferson)
Resolutions
• Long-standing impact of the resolutions
– This extreme states’ rights view of the Union
had a longer lasting impact than authors had
intended
– Used by South to support nullification and
eventually secession
– Jefferson and Madison had not intended to
break up the union, just stop Federalist abuses
of power
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Sharp divisions between Federalists and
Democratic-Republicans provided a stark
choice for voters in the election of 1800
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Federalists’ background
– Generally federalists (those who had
supported the Constitution)
– Led by Hamilton
– Primarily from the northeastern Atlantic
seaboard and merchants, manufacturers,
shippers
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Federalists and government
– Wanted a strong central government, able to
crush democratic excesses (like Shays’
Rebellion), protect the rich, and promote
foreign trade
– Advocated rule by the “best people”
• “Those who own the country ought to govern it.”
– John Jay
• Feared democracy and rule by commoners
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Federalists and foreign policy
– Hamilton believed in strong government to
expand US commerce and trade
– Foreign trade (especially with Britain) was
very important
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans’ (Republicans)
background
– Generally anti-federalists (those who had not
supported the Constitution)
– Led by Jefferson
– Primarily small farmers, middle class,
underprivileged, laborers, artisans, and small
shopkeepers
An Artisan, Such as the One Pictured
Here, Would Likely be a Republican
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Jefferson himself was a bundle of
contradictions
– Virginian aristocrat and slave owner who
lived in a mansion – he should have been a
Federalist
– Master political organizer through his ability
to appeal to the underclass (who primarily
supported the Democratic-Republicans)
Monticello, Jefferson's Virginia
Mansion
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans and government
– Wanted a weak central government (the best
government was one that governed least)
– Most power should stay with the states, not the
federal government because the people, closer to state
governments, could prevent tyranny
– Central authority should be kept to a minimum
through a strict interpretation of Constitution
– National debt should be paid off
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans and the class
system
– Believed in no special privileges for groups
(especially manufacturers)
– Agriculture was the most important branch of
the economy
A Cartoon Showing the
Republican's Support for Farmers
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans and democracy
– Voting only for white males literate enough
to inform themselves and vote intelligently
– Universal education important for voters and
would lead to universal (male) suffrage
– For his time, Jefferson was very open-minded
because of his faith in the properly educated
masses and their collective wisdom
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans and land
– Jefferson feared property-less dependants
would be politically manipulated by
landowners
– In this way he reconciled slavery with his
more democratic feelings
• Slavery allowed white southern yeomen (a small
farmer who cultivates his own land) to be
independent
• Whites would not have to work for large
landowners on plantations because slaves would
do this work
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• Democratic-Republicans and foreign
policy
– Generally pro-French; favored the liberal
democracy of the French Revolution (before
it turned violent) over the conservative
British government
– Favored increasing democracy in US,
especially in the frontier beyond the
Appalachians
Federalist Versus DemocraticRepublicans
• 1790s – conflicts between the 2 parties
opened the question of whether the US
would survive
• In the election of 1800 there was a danger
that the US would be destroyed by
conflict